The Birthday Gift

A work colleague is celebrating her 50th birthday and I wanted to make her a gift.  As we are heading towards summer it needed to be something lightweight but I'd left it too late for a shawl.  I had a look through some patterns online, but none were quite what I wanted.  So I started experimenting.  As I have yet to give her the present (and because it's not finished yet!) pics of the finished cowl will follow.  I've put the pattern up while I have a quiet 5 minutes - please feel free to grab up a hook and some yarn and try out the pattern :)  I will be adding a ravelry link next week!

Finished size is around 34" around and 7" deep (approx!  I'm not finished making mine yet!)

You will need:
Around 25g laceweight yarn (200m)
4mm hook
A little patience!

V st: dc, ch1, dc in same st

1. Ch146 (or starting chain can be a multiple of 4 + 2 for the turning chain).

You may want to FSC (foundation sc) 144 here if working into a long laceweight chain is likely to send you over the edge!  You may also prefer to join starting chain and work as a round straight off, in which case you will need to drop the ch2 and start with ch144 :)

2.  dc in 3rd ch from hook (ch 2 does not count as stitch), *sk ch sp, V st, sk ch sp, dc* along ch, ending on a V st.  Leave last ch unworked and end with a sl st in top of first dc of the row to join into a round (careful not to twist!).

3.  ch2 (doesn't count as a st), 3dc in first dc, *sc in ch sp of Vst, 5 dc in next dc* around, ending with a sc in ch sp of last 5 st.  To complete the round work 2 dc in the same st as the beginning 3 dc were made and join with a sl st.

4.  ch1, sc in first st, *ch2, sk 2, dc in sc of previous round, ch2, sk2, sc in middle dc of shell* around, ending with dc in last sc, ch2, join with a sl st to first sc made.

5.  Repeat row 2

6.  Repeat row 3

7.  Repeat row 4

Repeat rows 2-4 as required and end on a row 4.  Fasten off and block as needed.  When sewing in the ends, for the starting chain stray end, be sure to join the gap created if you have followed the pattern as written (starting with rows and joining to rounds).

If you started with an FSC row you may want to do a final row of sc around for balance.

I am still in the midst of my cowl but I think I will end up with 7 rows of shells.

Here is an in progress shot of what I have so far:

 

The Finished Article :)

 

I ended up with 7 rows of shells and ended on a round 4 pattern repeat.  The finished cowl was 24g.

Summer Daisy Beach Bag

In a few short weeks I will be doing my first Summer craft fair at Ickwell's May Day event.  I knew I would need to come up with something a little less woolly than what I would sell at a Winter fair, so I've been working on a few cotton bags.  This one uses 75g of dk weight cotton (King Cole cottonsoft Khaki) plus some dk scraps from other projects to make up the daisy.  The finished bag is approx 8" (20cm) deep, 10" (25cm) wide.

The project size can be easily adjusted by changing the length of the starting chain or working extra repeats of the pattern (remember to adjust yarn quantities though!)

You Will Need:
Approx 75g (150+ m) dk weight cotton or similar, plus scraps for the flower
4.5mm hook
3.5mm hook (optional, I used a smaller hook for the petals of the daisy)
2 stitch markers
Needle

1.  Ch 17, 3dc in 3rd ch from hook, dc in next 13, 6dc in last ch pivoting as you work as you will be working along other side of chain (mark first st in group), dc in next 13 along underside of chain, 3dc in last ch (mark first st of this group), join with sl.st in top of first dc made.  (38 sts).

2.  Ch2, work 2dc in first 3 sts, dc in next 13, 2dc in marked st (move marker up to first st in this pair), 2dc in next 5 sts, dc in next 13, 2dc in marked st (move marker up as before), 2dc in last 2 sts, sl st in top of first dc (50)

3.  Ch2, [2dc, dc] 3 times, dc in next 13, [2dc, dc] 6 times from marked st, move marker up, dc in next 13, [2dc, dc] 3 times from marked st, move marker up, sl st in top of first dc (62)

 4. Ch2, [2dc, dc, dc] 3 times, dc in next 13, [2dc, dc, dc] 6 times from marked st, move marker up, dc in next 13, [2dc, dc, dc] 3 times from marked st, move marker up, sl st in top of first dc (74)

The bottom of the bag is now done and there are no more increases.  Now work the sides of the bag:

5.  Ch2, dc in first st and each st around, sl st in top of first dc (74)

6 + 7: Repeat row 5 (74)

8.  Ch1, sc in first st and each st around, sl st in top of first st (74)

9, 10, 11:  Repeat row 5

12:  Repeat row 8

13, 14, 15:  Repeat row 5

16:  Repeat row 8

17, 18, 19:  Repeat row 5

20, 21, 22, 23, 24:  Repeat row 8.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

Handles (make 2)

1.  Ch6, sc in 2nd ch from hook and each st across, turn (5)

2.  Ch1, sc across, turn

3.  Repeat row 2

4.  Ch2, dc in each st across, turn

5, 6, 7:  Repeat row 2

8.  Repeat row 4

Repeat in this pattern of 3 rows of sc, 1 row of dc, until you have the size handles you need.  Be sure to end with 3 rows of sc.  My handles are 39 rows.  Fasten off and sew inside on the sc section at the top.

Flower:

With 4.5mm hook and yellow yarn, begin with a magic ring (or ch2 and work in 2nd ch from hook)

Work 14 sc and sl st in top of first st made.  Pull magic ring tight.

Fasten off yellow and move to smaller hook (optional) and white yarn.

Join with a sc into one of the stitches in the ring, ch10, sc in same stitch.

Work [sc, ch12, sc], then [sc, ch10, sc] alternately into each st around, sl st in first sc made and fasten off leaving a tail long enough to sew flower onto bag.  Ta-da!!

Don't forget to post your finished projects on Ravelry !

Galaxy Scarf

While in my LYS before Christmas, I bought 2 skeins of King Cole Galaxy.  Not something I would usually buy but I wanted to make a slightly sparkly gift without all the concentration and time needed when using beads.  This yarn is perfect for the job as it is 'pre-sequinned' (is that even a term?!) so I caved in and bought it!
This is what I came up with:

Here's what I did:

6.5mm hook
2 x 50g King Cole Galaxy
Stitch marker

I worked the flat section in the middle in rows, back and forth.  For the ruffle, I worked in a continuous round around the outside until I was happy with the level of ruffliness, in my case 5 rows.

The finished scarf is 52", for a longer scarf start with a longer chain, making sure it is an even number.  (Make sure you have enough yarn!)

  Loosely ch 180
1.  Sc in 2nd ch from the hook, *ch1, sk1, sc* to end, turn (179)
2.  Ch1, *sc in sc, ch1, sk ch sp* across, sc in last, turn (179)
3 - 14: Repeat row 2

You will now work in rounds, a stitch marker is placed in the first st so you don't get lost!  These are continuous rounds that you don't need to join.
You will turn your work to begin working in the short side.  You will need to work *sc, ch1* across this short side, working each sc in the corresponding row end (14 sc made, 13 ch sps) - from now on you won't be skipping any ch sps, they will all be worked in .

Rnd 1: Ch1 and pivot your work, *sc, ch1* along the first short side in the end of each row, ch1 and turn to work along the bottom, *sc, ch1* across the length of this row, ch1 and turn to work across the short side being sure to work 14 sc into this end too!  *sc, ch1* across short side, ch1 and turn to work along the top, *sc, ch1*  in all sc and ch sp, along to the marked st.
Rnd 2-5: continue in *sc, ch1* pattern for another 4 rounds or more if wanted, moving the marker up to keep track of the rounds.  Each round should be double the stitch count of the last, creating the ruffled effect.

Weave in the ends and wear or gift :)

Sari Silk Scarflette

While I was up in Haworth, North Yorkshire a couple of summers ago visiting family, I wandered off the cobbled street and into a fairtrade shop.  Among the incense and fair trade clothes I found a basket of fair trade recycled sari silk skeins.  I bought one which has been in my stash ever since due to a lack of inspiration.  I loved the jewel colours but at the time I was taking on more challenging patterns and didn't want to work the plain stitches that would be needed so as not to lose the texture and colour of the silks.

Fast forward to this weekend and I stumbled across the silk yarn again.  I had half an idea to use the birch bark cowl pattern but I quickly realised it would be tricky to work into the chain spaces so I went with this pattern instead.

My finished scarflette measures 32" x 5" approx.  Keep an eye on the amount of yarn you have left as you come towards the last row, you may need to drop one of the repeats so you don't run out of yarn!

You Will Need:

• 100g sari yarn.  Mine looks to be dk/worsted weight but I don't know the yardage, sorry!
• 6mm hook
• button to finish, this will need to fit through one of the gaps created by the ch sp

Start by chaining 100
1.  sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, turn (99)
2.  ch1, sc in first st, *ch1, sk 1, sc* across to last, turn
3.  Ch1, sc in first st, *ch1, sk ch sp, sc in sc* across to last, turn

Repeat row 3 for 13 more rows

17.  Ch1, sc in each sc and ch sp across to end, fasten off and weave in ends.

Sew on button as wanted and wear!

Lilac cowl

So I got some gorgeous bulky weight alpaca in the sale from wharfedale woolworks and I wanted a quick project that I could pick up and put down without too much thought while the kids were still on holiday from school.  I wanted to make a larger version of my birchbark cowl, this pattern uses the same stitch pattern but a larger hook to make the fabric more floaty.

Finished cowl measures approx 30" x 6"

You will need:
100g (100m/110yds) bulky weight (12 ply) alpaca
9mm hook (M/N)
3 x 1 - 1.5" buttons

1.  Ch71, sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, turn
2.  Ch1, sc, (ch1, sk1, sc) across, turn.
3.  Ch1, sc in 1st st, (sc in ch sp, ch1, sk sc)across, sc in last 2 st, turn.

Repeat rows 2 and 3 for 17 more rows (or until cowl is size needed).

21.  Ch1, sc in each sc and ch sp across, fasten off.

Weave in ends, sew on buttons on both corners of the short side and check placement of third button before attaching.  There are no buttonholes for this project, the buttons need to be able to slip through the holes made in the fabric.  Block if needed.

Flaming Beanie

Back in the summer I did a local craft fair and sold a one-off hat I'd made with some left over merino I'd got from Wharfedale Woolworks .  I'd meant to write down the pattern but hadn't got around to it but I had a vague idea how I'd gone about it...  Fast forward to December and I got a message from the person who'd bought the hat wanting me to make another one for her.  I asked the customer to send me a pic and set to work making this:

It took 3 attempts to remember what exactly I'd done, so I wrote it down this time in case I need to make it again!
You will need:  100g dk weight main colour (I used King Cole merino blend Heather),
50g contrast colour (CC) (King cole merino blend dusky pink),
4.5mm Hook
Stitch markers

This pattern is for a 20" circ hat, it fits quite snugly because it uses tapestry crochet.  To make a larger or smaller hat, add or take away increase rounds, 6 sc = 1 1/2 "

This pattern uses tapestry crochet where you carry the colour not being worked underneath and stitch it into your work as you go.  It is important to not carry the yarn too tightly so that your hat still has some give in it when you wear it.  If you need some info on the technique have a look on you tube, there are lots of great tutorials :)

1.  Ch2, in 2nd ch from hook work 6sc
2.  (You will be working in a continuous spiral, place marker in first stitch of this round and move marker up to the first stitch of each new round), 2sc in each sc around (12)
3. *2sc, sc* around (18)
4.  *2sc, sc in next 2 sts* around (24)
5.  *2sc, sc in next 3 sts* around (30)
6.  *2sc, sc in next 4 sts* around (36)
7.  *2sc, sc in next 5 sts* around (42)
8.  *2sc, sc in next 6 sts* around (48)
9.  *2sc, sc in next 7 sts* around (54)
10.  *2sc, sc in next 8 sts* around (60)
11.  Sc in each st around (60)
12.  *2sc, sc in next 9 sts* around (66)
13.  sc in each st around
14.  *2sc, sc in next 10 sts* around (72)
15.  sc in each st around
16.  *2sc, sc in next 11 sts* around (78)
17.  sc in each st around
18.  *2sc, sc in next 12 sts* around (84)
19.  sc in each st around
20.  *2sc, sc in next 13 sts* around (90)
21 - 37:  sc around
38:  In this round the pink is added.  Carry the CC yarn under the stitches and pick it up and swap it to work stitch in every six in pink.  It may be helpful to mark out every six stitches to keep track of where you are - I added a stitch marker in every 12 stitches.  What I did was to randomly put in a pink stitch in each group of 6.  Randomly work from these combinations: 
(sc in next 5 changing to CC in last st worked, sc CC in last st changing to MC)
(sc in next 4 changing to CC in last st worked, sc CC in 5th st changing to MC, sc in last)
(sc in next 3 changing to CC in last st worked, sc CC in 4th st changing to MC, sc in next 2)
(sc in next 2 changing to CC in last st worked, sc CC in 3rd st changing to MC, sc in next 3)
(sc in first st changing to CC in last st worked, sc CC in 2nd st changing to MC, sc in next 4)
(sc in first st changing to MC in last st worked, sc in next 5 st)
39:  Continuing in the same fashion, in this round you will need to fill in 2 sts in every 6 using the CC - some of these might be 2 sts next door to each other, some separated by one or more sts
40.  3 in every six sts to be filled in using CC
41.  4 in every six sts to be filled in using CC
42.  5 in every six sts to be filled in using CC
43 - 47: sc around.  Check sizing by trying hat on (my hat measured approx 8" crown to brim), if you need to make it a bit bigger, add a few more rounds in the CC.  Once you are happy, work round to the stitch marker marking the first st of the round, sl st in the next 2 sts and fasten off. 

Weave in ends and wear!  Don't forget to post project pics on ravelry, I'd love to see what colour combos you come up with.  You could also try thsi hat in 3 (or more) colours by following the same method to fade into another colour...

Orange

Such an underrated colour!  One of the lovely testers for my steampunk mitts pattern, Denvermama, made hers in a gorgeous orange, and I promised myself once I'd done my tax return (yawn...) I'd treat myself to a skein or two (or three!). 
And so it was that I ended up trawling the latest offerings from Fyberspates.  And this is what I got, ta-da!

Totally gorgeous, especially against the silver :)  FYI (and because I like to be an enabler on occasion) these are both Twizzle 4 ply, in silver and burnt orange.
Now, these yarns were supposed to be earmarked for some more steampunk mitts for a craft fair I'm doing in December.  Instead I have seconded them to the shawl department and I'm planning on a stripy version of my Urban Shawl pattern.  If there's any left over after that I shall make some mitts!